


Stupid Decisions

by Shinrin_Yoku



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Anime, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29062971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinrin_Yoku/pseuds/Shinrin_Yoku
Summary: A series of idiotic decisions gives Yuuri a glimpse into a new side of Conrad.
Relationships: Shibuya Yuuri/Conrart Weller
Kudos: 3





	Stupid Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Word count: 3,490
> 
> Warnings: Light mentions of blood
> 
> Coupling: Yuuri/Conrad
> 
> My very first post on Ao3! Please kindly tell me if I messed something up or any useful tricks you know. It’s not my first experience with writing, but critique is always welcome :) Enjoy!

Yuuri Shibuya was known for many things: his forgiving and kind nature, his overwhelming powerful Maryoku, his black hair and eyes, and other such defining features. For all his commendable traits, however, there were certain flaws the Maou possessed, much to the disbelief of all his loving and loyal followers. 

One such flaw was his weakness to focus. Everyday, when the time came for him to hunker down and sign papers, the king had a miraculous tendency to disappear without a trace. This was to Gwendel's greatest annoyance. At least two wrinkles were added to his forehead every time it happened. 

Another was his naive innocence. This one was as endearing as it was frustrating. At times it made people smile and warmed their hearts, and other times it caused unnecessary worry and irritation. 

Out of those two, the one that topped the cake was Yuuri's seeming outright inability to think through his decisions. Whenever he came to a conclusion, it was immediately set in stone and carried out, no matter anyone's protests. This was good for when it was helpful moral decisions like to not start war. It was not good when it was an obviously stupid decision. 

Thanks to a series of decisions such as these, Yuuri got to witness something he had never seen before. 

And he never wanted to witness it again. 

It all started on a day like any other. The sun had barely broken over the horizon and was casting pink and gold light onto the county of Shin Makoku. Birds were at their prime, showing off their songs in hopes of collecting a lady bird. There wasn't much movement in the castle, as even the first risers in the palace had not yet woken up to do their morning chores. No movement, save for one person currently leaning against the railing out on a balcony. The king was awake, and looking out across his country. 

To anyone observing, it might seem like some painting-worthy scene. He was leant against the railing with one arm laid across it while the other propped up his head. There was a certain air of carelessness and indifference about the way Yuuri relaxed into the banister that, combined with a gentle breeze tossing black hair over his face, would surely give a certain purple-haired adviser a nose bleed. 

The fact of the matter was that Yuuri was just bored. 

He had woken up a few minutes prior and, despite the earliness of the morning, had felt wide awake. Conrad wouldn't be in his room to wake him up for a couple more hours and he wasn't even certain the soldier was awake. Did he wake with the sunrise? Knowing him, he probably did. 

Maybe it was the boredom or the lack of sleep that spurred on his train of thought. Either way, Yuuri was hit with a sudden impulse, and like all sudden ideas, this one was followed with little to no thought. 

A walk sounded really great to him right now. 

Without another moment to pause Yuuri tiptoed past the sleeping form of his fiancé and daughter, one sleeping much more peacefully than the other, and out his bedroom. There were no guards posted outside of his door, to his surprise. Maybe they had switched from the day and night shifts and new guards hadn't yet arrived. Yuuri took advantage of the lack of security and speed walked down the empty corridor. He kept his ears trained for any hint of footsteps. Undetected he successfully made it out of the castle and into the courtyard. Getting out past the walls to the outside world would be the hardest part if Yuuri hadn't known a convenient secret exit that a certain orange hair spy had showed him. 

His words play through Yuuris head, "Now Bocchan, this is going to be our little secret," he had whispered, hand cupped around his mouth. "If anyone else finds out this exists, they'll have it fixed in a heartbeat." 

Yuuri silently thanks Yozak as he crawls down into the hole under the wall. He stood up and brushed the dirt of his black pants before continuing on his journey. Maybe he should've changed into something a little less eye catching, but it was too late to go back now. He would just have to hope no one else was crazy enough to take a walk when the sun was barely rising. 

There was a small forest outside of the castle grounds which hadn't been removed because apparently some specific species of bird could only live there and Gunter said it would be a waste of valuable information to cut it down. 

As he stepped into the first line of trees, Yuuri had to say, yes, there definitely was a lot of birds in this forest. Their loud chirps and whistles echoed throughout the greenery. It made a very tranquil picture along with the long grass glistening with dew and catching golden hues of light. 

Later he fully blamed the mesmerizing scenery for causing him to lose track of where he was. He came to a sudden halt, looking around slowly and realizing he had began to wander aimlessly, thus shattering any hope of simply walking back the way he had come from. With a sigh, Yuuri turned around and still decided to try the handy trick, even though he knew it would probably only lead him further into confusion. 

It was several long, long minutes of walking accompanied by the birds and the leaves waving in the wind. Finally Yuuri saw open field through gaps in the trees and quickened his pace. It was with a large amount of relief that he stumbled out of the foliage and into the grassy field. By then the sun was well into the sky, and if Yuuri were to venture a guess he would say it was nearing the time when everyone in the castle would be awake. The maids and soldiers were awake, of course, but some people of higher status fully utilized their power for a little extra sleep. A certain blonde haired prince comes to Yuuri's mind. 

Suddenly aware of his vulnerability, Yuuri casts a cautious look around. He was very obviously clothed in black clothes, after all. The castle was to his left and far away, definitely not the same place he had entered the forest. The place he had exited had a dirt road besides it leading towards the castle. He decided to follow the path for a ways and then sneak back into the castle the same way he had snuck out. Perhaps he could just say he was in the library or something. 

He had just started his journey when a hand comes from behind him and clamps down on his mouth while at the same time pulling him back into a tight clutch. A muffled scream does little to scare the owner of the hand off and his captor proceeds to tug him into the forest. Yuuri claws and kicks as much as he is able but his captor doesn't react. 

He finds himself slung over the man's shoulder with more bruises and cuts himself than he had given. Branches whipped his face but he could do little to stop them for his hands were tied painfully behind his back. In his mind, he cried out for someone to come rescue him, to notice he had disappeared. Who knows what the man wanted, maybe Yuuri had offended him somehow and now he wanted his revenge. Or perhaps he wanted to sell Yuuri. Neither of them were ideal. 

The man's grip tightened around Yuuri and began to lift him. Yuuri's eyes widened, knowing what was going to happen but powerless to stop it. His hands tugged at their binds, yearning to go in front of him and catch his fall. His shoulder met the ground first and his head snapped sideways with the force of the fall. He laid there with his eyes closed, unmoving, his whole body protesting loudly against the harsh treatment. 

He hears footsteps on the leaves and his eyes shoot open, hoping that someone had come to rescue him. It was only another man, though, clad as equally ratty as his companion. They conversed to each other, occasionally glancing down at Yuuri. He was able to make out the words "double-black" and "gold" and that was all he needed to know.

Another set of footsteps was heard, this one sounding much louder than any human feet. The two men over him tensed and drew daggers from their belts. He eyed the gleaming metal warily, knowing nothing good was about to happen. 

The heavy footsteps turned out to be a horse, which reared up and neighed mightily. Once the horse was back on all fours, Yuuri was able to see the rider, who turned out to be the very person he had hoped for. 

"Conrad!" A quick blow was dealt to his stomach. There was a series of motions and Yuuri found himself with a dagger pressed dangerously against his throat. 

"Release him at once." The familiar voice was unwavering and commanding. 

"Any moves and I'll slit your Maou's throat!" 

The sword held in Conrad's hands quivered ever so slightly, and there was a moment when Yuuri thought the soldier was actually afraid. One look at his face showed that it wasn't fear coursing through his veins, but pure, cold hard fury. 

"Give up, you're not getting out of here unscathed," Conrad said coldly, an expression and tone Yuuri had never known the man to use before showing clearly. He was having a hard time connecting the combination to his usually kind protector. 

"I'd like to see you try," growled the man in response. The dagger around Yuuri's neck stung even more painfully. He cried out in pain, struggling to get away, only to have the dagger pressed even more harshly against him. "A single move from you and he's dead." Yuuri had become still, trembling at the feel of his own blood dribbling down his neck. 

A look at Conrad made Yuuri stiffen and filled him with more fear than the dagger around his neck. He knew that if the soldier had possessed Maryoku the man holding him captive would be dead three times over in a second flat. He had never seen such a murderous expression before.

"Don't you dare hurt him," thundered Conrad, voice deep and dangerous. 

"And what are you gonna do about it?" The other taunted, reminding Conrad of the situation with a quick press of the dagger. Yuuri manages to turn a cry into a low grunt. 

Conrad stared at the man with an iron cold gaze. "Do it, and I swear you will not walk out of here alive." 

The burly man didn't seem at all affected, and instead smirked at Conrad. "Is that what you think? You must really care about him." He began to slowly run the knife back and forth against Yuuri's neck. "Let me remind you who's at the advantage here. Try anything funny and he'll be dead before you can blink. Get me a horse out of here and I might just spare the brat." 

The situation didn't look good. Yuuri wasn't so much worried about his own life as he was worried about Conrad's. He knew the other would sacrifice his life for the sake of his king in a heartbeat. So before any rash decisions could be made, Yuuri acted. 

Without warning, he bit down on the hand covering his mouth as hard as he could while simultaneously stomping down on his foot. He made sure his heel dug in nice and deep. 

The man reacted surprisingly strongly to the attack. Maybe he had a low pain tolerance. Whatever it was, Yuuri was thankful for it. The grip around him loosened just enough for Yuuri to slip out. 

Just as he had obtained freedom, the consequences of acting on stupid ideas came crashing in. The man had quickly reacted to what was happening and made a quick slice at Yuuri's throat. It was by pure luck that the blade missed his neck and instead slashed his collarbone. Luck didn't seem to be enough, though, for his momentum carried the knife all the way around his shoulder and down his back. 

Everything happened too quickly after that, and the pain was far too searing to comprehend anything. One thing he was certain of, was that he had cried out Conrad's name and that was probably the only thing that kept the kidnapper from being killed on the spot. 

There was a dizzying swirl of activity which all looked like one giant blur to Yuuri. It took him ages to figure out the buzz in his ears was actually people talking and shouting. The words sounded muffled, like he was listening from under water. 

His head was spinning horribly, making him feel sick. Right before he felt like he was going to pass out, a face appeared in his vision, the clearest image he had seen in awhile. It was Conrad's face, and he looked anxious, scared, and... something else...

It was a new expression. He couldn't identify it for he had never seen it before. He definitely recognized the worry on the others face, though, and tried to console him.

He attempted to smile and say a cheerful "hi," but it came out more like a painful rasp accompanied by a grimace. The moment the one little word passed his lips, the fury he had seen earlier was back but now aimed at him. Conrad didn't say anything to him, but his gaze spoke volumes. 

He was downright furious at Yuuri. 

It wasn't the same as the anger aimed at his captor, though. No, this anger was mixed in with sorrow and regret. All the same, Conrad was very, very upset. 

At him.

Yuuri felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins and his heart had stopped. He never thought that a single stare could hurt worse than any dagger wound or arrow piercing. 

It was a relief when darkness finally consumed his vision, hiding him from Conrad's gaze. 

He really should have expected the reaction. He'd made a really stupid- no, several really stupid decisions. He began to realize a startling fact: he would rather be sliced again than have to be on the end of Conrad's anger. The latter hurt much, much worse. 

When Yuuri woke, he felt softness underneath him. Slowly he peeled his eyes open, blinking at the light within the room. He was in his bedroom with the canopy overhead. When he started to sit up, a sharp pain in his back and shoulder made him inhale sharply and lay back down. Reaching his hand up, he gingerly felt his shoulder and back. Bandages were wrapped around him tightly. He felt a small wetness underneath them. 

Just as he was beginning to freak out, thinking he was bleeding out without stop, the door to his chambers opened. He turned his attention to the door, only to freeze. Conrad was stood in the doorway, not yet realized Yuuri was awake. When he looked up and their eyes met, the other also froze momentarily. It was only for a split second, and then the soldier had his usual demeanor back up. 

"I'm glad to see you are awake, Heika," he said lightly, coming up beside the bed. His hands were clasped behind him. "How do your wounds feel?" 

"Fine..." Yuuri said hesitantly. There was a tenseness between them, he could tell. Conrad had once again referred to him formally, and Yuuri hadn't corrected him. 

"Gisela told me your bandages may require a fresh change," he said, leaning over the bed to closely inspect them. He didn't look at Yuuri's face. "If you will allow me, Heika." 

He only nodded, slowly sitting up with the others help. Conrad worked quickly and silently as he carefully peeled back the bandages and rewrapped new ones. Yuuri winced occasionally but didn't say anything. The other was being as gentle as he could, but he still felt like his fingers were hot irons touching his skin. He almost couldn't stand it. 

He couldn't read the other. Yuuri liked to think he was one of the few people that got to know and see the real Conrad. Because of that he had started to recognize what he was truly feeling behind his usual smiling mask. But right now, Conrad was a blank sheet of paper. He couldn't find anything to read. 

Conrad stepped back and Yuuri, thinking he was going to leave and let their rift continue, quickly spoke up, "Conrad-" but never finished. He was astonished to find himself looking down at Conrad who had dropped down onto one knee, head bowed deeply. 

"Heika," Conrad's voice was quiet, remorseful. "I need to apologize for what happened in the woods. It was completely out of line for me to react as I did." 

"What are you saying?" Yuuri said quickly, throwing back the covers and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Conrad looked up at hearing the movement and stopped Yuuri in alarm just before he stood up. 

"Heika! You must stay in bed!" 

Yuuri tries to wrestle off the other but couldn't shake him enough to stop him from forcing him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Not until you stop apologizing for ridiculous things and calling me 'Heika'! You had every right to be angry." Yuuri but his lip. He hopes the other wouldn't notice the slight shaking of his body. "I made an idiotic decision. I'm not sure why you haven't gotten mad at me before, actually, because I make a lot of those. I'm just an all around idiot."

"That's not true, Yuuri." The sharpness in his voice surprised Yuuri more than what he did next. Conrad placed a hand on Yuuri's knee, now simply kneeling on the floor and looking the slight distance up at him. His gaze held bold sincerity. "I never meant to upset you. I was just..." the knight hesitated, then spoke softly, "terrified." 

Yuuri's heart lurched in his chest painfully. The man knelt in front of him was completely different from the man he had grown to know. Right now Conrad was vulnerable and weak, admitting things Yuuri thought the soldier wasn't even capable of feeling. 

Had he really scared Conrad that badly? 

"You really did, Yuuri," Conrad said with a slight nod, his grip tightening ever so slightly on the others knee. Yuuri hadn't realized he had thought aloud. "That knife came far too close. Perhaps a few more inches and-" The other swallowed thickly, looking away. His hand began to tremble. "When you attempted your escape and got hurt for it then acted as though it was nothing... it was too much." He shook his head slowly, sorrowfully. "It was just too much." 

Yuuri brought his unhurt arm up and placed his hand over Conrad's. The warmth of the others hand was comforting under his fingers. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I really wasn't thinking correctly at the time. If I had, well, maybe it would've made an even worse plan." He laughs slightly at his horrible attempt at humor. A glance at Conrad relieved him, for the other had his eyes closed and a small smile irking his lips. "In all seriousness, I won't sneak out of the castle again, no matter how bored I am." 

Conrad finally fully smiled. "That makes me happy. Perhaps next time you should invite me along when you suddenly desire to go on a walk." 

"How did you notice I was gone anyway?" 

The soldier suddenly burst out laughing, surprising Yuuri. "I'm sorry, Yuuri," Conrad apologized, but the effect was lost to the sparkle of mirth still in his eyes. "Despite what you may think, you're very easy to spot, even when you are sneaking around." 

"Oh," Yuuri said, slightly disappointed. He had thought he had done a good job at being discreet. "So much for ninja stealth. Good thing too, right?" 

"Yes," Conrad replied, forcing his expression to be stern. 

Maybe sneaking out was a bad idea. Maybe trying to escape from someone with a knife was a bad idea. Maybe trying to comfort Conrad was a bad idea. But what wasn't a bad idea was his next decision which, as it was with them all, was carried out without thought. 

Perhaps it was because of the lingering touch of their hands, or the steady gaze of their eyes. Either way, there was a flash of motion before Yuuri was throwing the covers over himself, a mess of blushing red and a goofy smile. 

Conrad touched the place on his cheek where Yuuri's lips had grazed. A smile breaks across his entire face. 

Yep, definitely his best idea yet.


End file.
